The Incident

The Incident is an event in the history of Naev.

The Facts

At approximately UST 593:3726.4663, Sol - the home planetary system and origin of humanity - was torn apart by a cataclysmic explosion. The explosion ripped through a wide region of the galaxy, vaporizing dozens of stars, tearing the Empire asunder, completely annihilating House Proteron, and sterilizing the Soromid homeworld of Sorom. The explosion left an impenetrable ghostly nebula in its wake and had rippling destabilizing effects throughout the remainder of the galaxy. No one knows what caused the Incident or why it tore through so much of the galaxy.

The Nebula

In its current form, the Nebula is divided into two general segments: the impossible to traverse Inner Nebula, and the comparatively mild Outer Nebula.

The Inner Nebula

The Inner Nebula occupies the space close to Sol, the origin point of the explosion. As you get deeper into the nebula, your shields will require more and more energy to sustain themselves until eventually, they lose their ability to sustain a charge. When that happens, it spells a death sentence for any would-be traveler, for once the shields are gone, no ship hull can withstand the pressures; a ship without a functioning shield is inevitably torn apart by the Inner Nebula in mere seconds. To add insult to injury, the thickness of the nebula as one progresses leads to a narrower and narrower range of vision, making it nearly impossible to find the jump points needed to progress.

It is common knowledge among pilots that no one should ever travel into the Inner Nebula, and there are reports by some pilots who have escaped of so-called "ghosts" or "ghost ships". Despite the rumors, experts have concluded that these so-called "ghost ships" are likely a figment of the pilots' imagination, possibly amplified by the low visibility of the Nebula. Every once in a while a pilot comes forward with "ghost ship" fragments obtained from the nebula, and these are sometimes even sold on the black market, but most experts conclude that these fragments are likely a mixture of several unrelated objects, mostly consisting of the recently destroyed ships of ill-prepared pilots. A small minority of researchers have hypothesized that some sort of material which is unusually resistant to the Nebula may have stuck around since the time the Incident occurred, and these researchers often seek out so-called "ghost ship" fragments for analysis in the hopes of finding out what this hypothetical material may be. However, no breakthroughs have been found as of yet, and the current scientific consensus is that the fragments are simply conventional ship parts which have been distorted to unrecognizable forms by the destructive forces of the Nebula.

The Outer Nebula

Unlike the Inner Nebula, the Outer Nebula is traversable and usually somewhat safe, although some fearful pilots avoid it anyway due to the ghost stories of the Inner Nebula. The Outer Nebula has the same effects as the Inner Nebula, but at a weak enough level that conventional shields are able to compensate for the damage. The Outer Nebula is currently mostly occupied by stations under the control of the Empire, the Soromid, and House Dvaered.

While most dislike the effects of even the Outer Nebula, the reduced visibility is enjoyed by outlaws. While piracy rates are not especially high due to a lack of opportunity, it is not uncommon to see a pirate using the Outer Nebula as cover. It is also widely believed, though as of yet unproven, that the FLF is organizing somewhere in the Outer Nebula in an attempt to evade detection from Dvaered authorities.